Detection of surface anomalies in elongate conductive members by pulse propagation analysis

ABSTRACT

Pulse propagation analysis to ascertain whether and anomaly such as surface corrosion exists on a section of conductive member such as pipe. Anomalies such as surface corrosion result in localized velocity changes of pulses propagating along a conductive member. These localized velocity changes exhibit themselves in changes in waveform, rise and fall time, amplitude, and time delay of a pulse with respect to a fixed time reference. To allow such anomalies to be located, two pulses are generated such that they intersect at intersecting locations along the conductive member. The resulting modified pulses are analyzed for perturbations indicative of localized velocity changes.

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/023,024, filed on Feb.12, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,316, which is a continuation of Ser.No. 08/747,195, filed on Nov. 12, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,503 andwhich is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/403,334, filed on Mar. 14, 1995,now abandoned.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to pulse propagation analysis and, moreparticularly, to the analysis of one of two intersecting electricalpulses to determine whether a surface anomaly exists at the locationwhere the two pulses intersect.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pulse propagation analysis has long been proposed as a tool fornonintrusively detecting anomalies in elongate, conductive members suchas buried cables and the like. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,467, the presentapplicant proposed propagating two electrical pulses along a conductorsuch that they intersect at a predetermined location along theconductor. By analyzing one of these pulses after they have passedthrough the predetermined location, the applicant found that thepresence or absence of an anomaly at the predetermined location could bepredicted.

The basic principle disclosed in the '467 patent was also used in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,189,374, 5,243,294, and 5,270,661, all also issued to thepresent applicant. The '374 patent applied the basic principlesdescribed in the '467 patent in the context of a conductive member, suchas a well casing, where one end of the member is more accessible thanthe other end. The '294 patent teaches that the propagation delay forthe length of the conductive member under test can be used to set thetiming of the pulses such that the pulses intersect at a plurality ofdesired locations along the portion of the conductive member under test.The '661 patent teaches applying a DC electrical current to the memberto provide an electrical potential. Changes in the electrical potentialare observed and correlated with analysis of pulses that haveintersected along the member.

While the basic principles described in the foregoing patents aregenerally applicable to any conductive member, the inventions claimed inthose patents were, for illustration purposes, disclosed in the contextof a buried pipe. In contrast, the present invention is of particularsignificance when used in the context of detecting surface anomalies,such as corrosion, on insulated pipe located above ground. Accordingly,that application will be described in detail herein. The presentinvention may, however, have broader application to detecting otheranomalies on elongate, conductive members. The scope of the presentinvention should thus be determined not based on the following detaileddescription but instead on the claims appended hereto.

In manufacturing facilities such as oil refineries and the like, milesof pipe are used to carry fluids being processed or used in the refiningprocess. The failure of such pipes can cause extensive damage, and thesepipes are often routinely inspected to avoid pipe failures and thedamage resulting therefrom. For a variety of reasons, such as energyconservation and worker safety, many of these pipes are wrapped withinsulation.

For any given pipe, the entire interior surface of the pipe is subjectto essentially the same conditions. The interior of the pipe thus can besatisfactorily tested by sampling analysis of the interior surface atdiscrete points and using statistical analysis to draw inferencesregarding the condition of the pipe at locations between the sampledpoints.

The exterior surface of insulated pipe cannot be adequately tested usingsampling and statistical inferences, however, because one cannot assumethat the entire exterior surface of insulated pipe is subject to thesame conditions. To the contrary, anomalies on the exterior surface of apipe tend to be localized and caused by factors specific to thatlocation.

Accordingly, to inspect the exterior surface of insulated pipes, theinsulation must be removed and the exterior surface visually inspected.The process of removing and reinstalling this insulation is veryexpensive. In this context a buried pipe will be considered one form ofinsulated pipe, as buried pipe cannot be visually inspected withoutexpensive excavation. Accordingly, the need exists for a method oftesting the condition of the exterior surface of an insulated pipe bymeans other than visual inspection after the insulation has beenremoved.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

From the foregoing, it should be apparent that one specific object ofthe present invention is to provide methods and apparatus that allow asurface anomalies in a length of pipe to be detected and located.

Another more specific object of the present invention is to providepulse propagation systems and methods having a favorable mix of thefollowing characteristics:

(a) allows unobtrusive testing of elongate conductive members such aspipes and the like;

(b) obviates the need to visually inspect pipe such as insulated pipethat is not easily visually inspected; and

(c) can be effectively and consistently applied in a cost efficientmanner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

By empirically testing under controlled conditions sections of pipe thatare identical accept for the fact that one pipe has surface corrosionand the other pipe does not, the applicant has determined that corrosionon the surface of a pipe yields a measurable change in propagationvelocity, rise time, and amplitude of an electrical pulse passingthrough a section of pipe having surface corrosion. While theseparameters will vary somewhat even in good pipe, the variations arenoticeably more severe when the pipe has surface corrosion thereon.

The applicant thus concluded that the effect of corrosion on propagationof velocity, rise time, and amplitude of single pulse should also beobservable in some form in a pulse that has intersected another pulse ata predetermined location. By looking for the affects of corrosion in atwo-pulse system, not only can corrosion be identified but it can alsobe located and significantly simplifies the testing process.

The present invention in its most basic form is thus a method ofdetecting an anomaly of conductive member comprising the steps ofsending an electrical pulse along the conductive member and analyzingcharacteristics of the pulse such as propagation speed, rise time,waveform shape, and amplitude to ascertain whether corrosion exists onthe conductive member. By comparing these characteristics to thosegenerated for a known good pipe, the absence or presence of an anomalycan be predicted.

In another exemplary form, the present invention is a method ofdetecting corrosion on the surface of a pipe. In this situation, it isnot only desirable to detect the presence or absence of an anomaly, butto ascertain the location of the anomaly along the length of pipe.

To allow an anomaly not only to be detected but to be located, thepresent invention comprises the steps of sending two electrical pulsesalong the conductive member such that they intersect at an intersectinglocation and analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one ofthe pulses after they have passed through the intersecting location todetermine whether an anomaly exists at the intersecting location. Toprovide information related to corrosion, the pulse characteristic thatis analyzed should provide an indication of localized velocity changesof the pulse along the given section of pipe. To this end, such factorsas the propagation delay, rise time of the leading edge, and amplitudeof the pulse may be considered to determine whether corrosion exists.

To provide a complete picture of an entire length of pipe, a pluralityof pulses are timed to intersect at different predetermined locationsalong the length of pipe. Then, one pulse associated with eachpredetermined location is analyzed to determine whether an anomalyexists at the predetermined location.

While a combination of characteristics of a given pulse may be analyzedto determine corrosion, the applicant has found that the mostobservable, with currently available test equipment limitations,indications of surface anomalies are contained at or near the leadingedge of the pulse. The rise time of the leading edge, the amplitude ofthe pulse adjacent to the leading edge, the shape of the leading edge ascompared to the shape of the leading edge for pulses generated at knowngood locations, and whether the leading edge is shifted from a predictedposition in time all may indicate the presence or absence of surfaceanomalies at the intersecting location.

In practice, the applicant has found that electrically connecting thepoints on a conductive member at either end of the section of interestremoves certain variables relating to grounding and substantiallyreduces the amount of power required to generate a given pulse. Byreferring all test equipment to a reference potential set at thepotential of the electrically connected end points, very low powerpulses may be used. Low power pulses appear to provide more meaningfulinformation related to the surface of the pipe than do higher powerpulses.

Additionally, the applicant has found that, especially for short lengthsof pipe, the widths of the pulses used should be much greater than thepropagation delay between the end points of the portion of theconductive member in question. By selecting a pulse width at least tentimes the length of the propagation delay, the leading edge of the pulseis isolated from the trailing edge thereof. This is because for shortpipe lengths, equipment limitations in the development of short durationpulse widths can result in ringing at the leading and trailing edgeswhich obscure the effects on the pulse waveform caused by surfaceanomalies.

As generally described above, the present invention results in anunobtrusive test for exterior corrosion that can be performed with highresolution along a length of covered pipe simply by providing access tothe end points of the section of pipe in question. The present inventionthus obviates the need to remove insulation or dig up pipe for thepurpose of visually inspecting the exterior thereof. Other objects andadvantages of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 of the drawing is a schematic depiction of a system forimplementing the processes of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are timing diagrams schematically depicting thegeneration and interaction of the pulses employed to ascertain whetheranomalies exist along a given length of pipe;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are graphs showing how surface anomalies such as corrosionaffect the leading edge of electrical pulses traversing known good andknow bad pipes under controlled conditions; and

FIGS. 5-7 are graphs showing how certain characteristics of modifiedpulses may be plotted to help determine whether the modified pulsescontain data indicative of surface anomalies.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawing, depicted in FIG. 1 is a system 20constructed in accordance with, and embodying, the principles of thepresent invention. The system 20 is configured to measure for surfaceanomalies on a pipe 22 between points A and B located on that pipe.

The system 20 basically comprises a digital signal analyzer 24, andcomputer controller 26, a first pulse generator 28, and second pulsegenerator 30. The output of the first pulse generator 28 is connected tothe point A by a cable 32. The second pulse generator 30 is connected tothe point B by a cable 34. A cable 36 is connected between the points Aand B on the pipe 22.

The signal analyzer 24 is connected to a probe 38 via a cable 40. Thecomputer controller is connected to the signal analyzer 24 by a GPIB bus42 and to the pulse generators 28 and 30 by a GPIB bus 44. Thegeneration of pulses by the pulse generators 28 and 30 and detection ofthese pulses by the signal analyzer 24 are controlled by the computercontroller 26. The logic implemented by the computer controller will bediscussed below, and the steps required to implement this logic will beclear to one of ordinary skill in the art of computer controlled testequipment.

Also employed in the system 20 is an isolation transformer 46 thatisolates the system 20 so that the signal analyzer 24, computercontroller 26, and pulse generators 28 and 30 may be referenced to afloating reference point identified at 48 and connected to the cable 38.

This arrangement of floating the test signals isolates these signalsfrom the noise introduced by the various grounded pipes in a refinerysetting. While this arrangement renders the system 20 less suitable formeasuring the interaction between the pipe 22 and its environment, itgreatly enhances the ability of system 20 to test the condition of thepipe itself in a refinery setting.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, depicted in these Figures are highlyschematic graphs depicting the propagation and interaction of pulsesgenerated by the pulse generators 28 and 30. FIGS. 2A and 2B contain atotal of thirteen separate graphs, each of which is associated with agiven time. For reference purposes, each of these graphs is identifiedby the time t₀ through t₁₂ associated therewith. These points in time t₀through t₁₂ increase in time in sequential order.

In the following discussion, these graphs will be discussed in sequenceto provide one simple example illustrating the basic operation of thepresent invention. In these graphs, end points A and B of the section ofthe pipe 22 in question are shown, along with three points P1, P2, andP3 on the pipe 22 between the end points A and B. The point P2 is midwaybetween the points A and B. The point P1 is midway between the points Aand P2, while the point P3 is midway between the points P2 and B. Itshould be clear that any number and spacing of points may be used asrequired by a given length and configuration of pipe.

Pulses generated by the first pulse generator 28 are shown in an upperhalf of these graphs and identified by the term PG1, while pulsesgenerated by the second pulse generator 30 are shown in the lower halfof the graph and identified by the term PG2. Subscripts are used todistinguish the various pulses generated by the pulse generators 28 and30 and will be identified in the text.

A vertical line with a horizontal arrow adjacent thereto indicates theleading edge of any given pulse. The direction of the arrow indicatesthe direction of propagation of the pulse. Lines slanted to the leftindicate the presence of a pulse generated by the first pulse generator28 at a given point and at a given time, while rightwardly slanted linesindicate the presence of a pulse generated by the second pulse generator30 at a given location on the pipe at a given point in time.

Additionally, during and after a given pulse intersects another pulse,the given pulse will be identified by a prime (′) mark and will bereferred to as a modified pulse. Any pulse that traverses the pipe 22between points A and B may be referred to as an unmodified pulse as longas it does not intersect another pulse.

While in theory the present invention can be applied on a pulse-by-pulsebasis, practically a number of pulses are sampled and averaged to storea given waveform. This sampling and averaging process will be describedin further detail in the following discussion.

Referring now to the drawings, the first basic step in the process ofthe present invention is illustrated by graphs associated with times tothrough t₃. This first step has two basic purposes: first, a waveform ofan unmodified pulse generated by the second pulse generator, applied topoint B, and measured at point A, is stored to provide a referencewaveform and time reference for subsequent analysis; and, certain timeintervals are measured to determine the propagation delay for a pulsetraversing the pipe 20 between points A and B.

More particularly, to indicates the point in time at which a pulse PG2_(pp1) is generated by the second pulse generator 30. Because ofpropagation delays in cables and the like, this pulse PG2 _(pp1) is notyet present on the pipe 22.

At time t₁, the pulse PG2 _(pp1) has traversed the pipe and its leadingedge 48 has reached the point A. At this time t₁, the waveform of thepulse PG2 _(pp1) is sampled. As mentioned above, this sampling processis actually performed by generating a plurality of pulses PG2 andaveraging these pulses to obtain the unmodified pulse PG2 _(pp1). Thetime interval between the times t₀ and t₁ is also recorded and will bereferred to as T_(pp1). At the time t₁, the probe 38 is in contact withthe point A on the pipe 22.

The probe 38 is next moved to the point B on the pipe 22. Then, at timet₂, another pulse PG2 _(pp2) is generated by the second pulse generator30. This leading edge 51 of this pulse PG2 _(pp2) reaches the point B ata time t₃. Again, a plurality of PG2 pulses are generated to obtain thepulse PG2 _(pp2). The interval between the time t₂ and t₃ will bereferred to as T_(pp2).

The propagation delay T_(ab) of an electrical signal moving betweenpoints A and B along the pipe 22 may be calculated from the followingformula:

T_(ab)=T_(pp1)−T_(pp2)  (EQUATION 1)

By calculating the propagation delay T_(ab) in this manner, the variouspropagation delays throughout the system 20 can be calculated for thepurposes of determining the timing and sequencing of the pulsesdiscussed below. Given the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,294, whichare incorporated herein by reference, the use of the propagation delayT_(ab) to determine timing and sequencing set forth below should beapparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, and the exact timing andsequencing used in the example shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B will not bedescribed herein in detail.

The next step is to generate modified pulses for each of the points P1,P2, and P3 spaced along the pipe 22. This is accomplished basically asfollows.

Between the times t₃ and t₄ in FIG. 2A, the probe 38 is returned to thepoint A along the pipe 22. Based on the propagation delay T_(ab), apulse PG1 _(ref1) is stored to provide a reference pulse for laterprocessing. As before, the stored pulse PG1 _(ref1) is actuallycalculated from a plurality of pulses that have been sampled andaveraged.

Between times t₄ and t₅, pulses PG1 ₁ and PG2 ₁ are generated by thefirst and second pulse generators 28 and 30. Based on the propagationdelay Tab, these pulses PG1 ₁ and PG2 ₁ are timed such that leadingedges 52 and 54 of the pulses PG1 ₁ and PG2 ₁ intersect at time t₅ atthe point P1 along the pipe 22; the point P1 is a first intersectingpoint.

Next, at time t₆, the leading edge 54 of the modified pulse PG2 ₁′reaches the point A and a waveform WFA₁ present at point A is sampledand stored by the signal analyzer 24. Again, this sampling and storingprocess requires the sampling of a series of waveforms that are averagedto obtain the waveform WFA₁.

Subsequently, between the points t₆ and t₇, a second reference pulse PG1_(ref2) is generated. At time t₇, the reference pulse PG1 _(ref2) isstored. Again, this pulse PG1 _(ref2) is actually calculated from aplurality of pulses that have been sampled and averaged.

Between times t₇ and t₈, pulses PG1 ₂ and PG2 ₂ are generated by thepulse generators 28 and 30. At time t₈, leading edges 56 and 58 of thepulses PG1 ₂ and PG2 ₂ intersect at point P2 along the pipe 22. Thepoint P2 corresponds to a second intersecting location. At time t₉, awaveform WFA₂ present at point A is sampled and stored by the signalanalyzer 24 in the same manner as the waveform WFA₁ described above.

Between the points t₉ and t₁₀, a third reference pulse PG1 _(ref3) isgenerated. Again, this pulse PG1 _(ref3) is actually calculated from aplurality of pulses that have been sampled and averaged.

Finally, between the times t₁₀ and t₁₁, pulses PG1 ₃ and PG2 ₃ aregenerated by the first and second pulse generators 28 and 30. At timet₁₁, leading edges 60 and 62 of these pulses PG1 ₃ and PG2 ₃ intersectat point P3. The point P3 is a third intersecting location. Then, attime t₁₂, a waveform WFA₃ at point A is sampled and stored by the signalanalyzer 24.

The waveforms WFA₁, WFA₂, and WFA₃ sampled and stored at point A attimes t₆, t₉, and t₁₂ all contain information that can be used topredict the existence or absence of an anomaly at the points P1, P2, andP3, respectively. More particularly, these stored waveforms WFA₁, WFA₂,and WFA₃, all comprise a component contributed by the leading edge ofone of the modified pulses PG2 ₁′, PG2 ₂′, and PG2 ₃′.

The applicant has found that, by analyzing and/or processing thesewaveforms WFA₁, WFA₂, and WFA₃, information can be extracted from thesewaveforms that will allow anomalies, and especially surface corrosion,to be predicted at the intersecting locations associated with the pointsP1, P2, and P3.

In particular, characteristics of the leading edge of the modifiedpulses PG2′ can be extracted from the waveforms WFA. Thesecharacteristics can be analyzed for variations that can be predictors ofanomalies at the intersection points where the pulses PG2 intersectedthe pulses PG1. Accordingly, the existence and location of problem spotssuch as surface corrosion along a given length of insulated pipe can bepredicted. This location can then be visually inspected and repaired ifnecessary.

On the other hand, the applicant also believes that the absence ofproblems such as corrosion can be predicted with an acceptable degree ofcertainty along the length of a pipe, which may obviate the needvisually to inspect the entire length of pipe.

The characteristics of the leading edge of the modified pulses thatsuggest surface anomalies along the length of the pipe include theamplitude of the modified pulse adjacent to the leading edge, the risetime and shape of the leading edge, and time displacements of thisleading edge relative to a predicted location of the leading edge.

The empirical data suggests that the propagation velocity of a givenelectrical signal passing through a given length of pipe is dependentupon the condition or makeup of the surface of the pipe. Moreparticularly, if the pipe surface is steel, the propagation velocitywill be one value, while if the surface of the pipe is oxidized steel(corroded), the propagation velocity of the electrical pulse will beanother value. The applicant believes that these differing localizedpropagation velocities are manifested not only by a relativedisplacement of the leading edge as compared against a fixed timereference, but by the shape of the leading edge as evidenced by risetime and amplitude adjacent to the leading edge.

Extracting this information from the waveforms WFA sampled and stored asdescribed above is complicated by several factors, however.

In particular, in a refinery setting where pipe runs are relativelyshort, the Applicant has determined that the pulse widths of the pulsesemployed should be significantly longer than the propagation delayacross the section of pipe of interest. Pulse lengths of approximatelythe same duration as the propagation delay result in interferencebetween the leading edge of a pulse arriving at one end of the pipesection and the trailing edge of another pulse leaving that end of thepipe section. This interference can obscure information contained in theleading edge of the pulse being analyzed.

Ideally, the pulse width would be much smaller than the propagationdelay across the pipe section of interest. While pulses of such shortdurations can be generated, these pulses generated by currentlyavailable test equipment contain a significant amount of ringing thatcan also obscure the information contained in the leading edge of thepulse of interest.

Accordingly, the Applicant employs pulse widths that are either: muchlonger than the propagation delay of the pipe section of interest toavoid the problems with pulses equal to or shorter than the propagationdelay for short pipe runs; or much shorter than the propagation delay ofthe pipe section of interest when a reliable pulse can be generatedrelative to the propagation delay.

In practice, with short propagation delays, the Applicant will normallyuse a pulse width of at least ten times the propagation delay, and oftenone that is a hundred or a thousand times the propagation delay. Withlong propagation delays where pulse widths of less than the propagationdelay are feasible, the Applicant will use a pulse width of at most onetenth of the propagation delay. The examples described herein presumeshort pipe lengths and short propagation delays that prevent the use ofpulse widths of less than the propagation delay.

The use of pulse widths that are greater than the propagation delaymeans that, when a leading edge reaching a given end of a pipe sectionis being analyzed, the pulse generated at that given end is stillpresent at the given end. This situation is shown, for example, at timet₆ in FIG. 2A. At time t₆ when the waveform WFA₁ is being sampled andstored, the pulse PG₁ and the leading edge 54 of the pulse PG2 ₁′ areboth present at the location A.

To compensate for the contribution of the pulse PG1 ₁′, the waveformWFA₁ is modified by the waveform of the pulse PG1 ₁. In particular, thepulse PG1 _(ref1) waveform stored at time t₄ is subtracted from thewaveform WFA₁ stored at time t₆. This process results in a processedwaveform WFA₁′ that primarily reflects the contribution of the leadingedge 54 of the pulse PG2 ₁′ and not that of the pulse PG₁′.

The processed waveform WFA′ can thus be analyzed for rise time,amplitude, and time shift characteristics of one of the modified pulsesPG1′ or PG2′ to ascertain whether anomalies such as corrosion exist atthe intersecting location associated therewith.

Additionally, this waveform is compared against the waveform PG2 _(pp1)stored at time t₁. The waveform PG2 _(pp1) represents the shape andtiming of an unmodified pulse passing through intersecting location, andthe comparison of waveform shape, rise time, and time delay of the PG2_(pp1) and WFA′ waveforms indicates the presence or absence of ananomaly at a given intersecting location.

EXAMPLE 1

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, depicted therein are signal analyzertraces showing the leading edges of a several pulses that have beenpassed through known good and known bad pipe under controlled conditionsin a laboratory. These traces show that the pulses through the known badpipe differ significantly from those of the known good pipe.

In this example, a single pulse was propagated through the pipe undertest. The pulse was measured at various points along the pipe. Thedistance between the points A and B on the pipe was approximately eightfeet, the propagation delay measured for that pipe section wasapproximately 8 nanoseconds, and pulses having a pulse width of 300nanoseconds were employed.

FIG. 3 shows the leading edges 64, 66, 68, and 70 of the pulsescorresponding to four locations on a length of known good pipe. Incontrast, FIG. 4 depicts similarly measured and spaced leading edges 72,74, 76, and 78 of four pulses corresponding to four locations on asection of the same pipe having visible surface corrosion.

In FIG. 3, the leading edges are fairly similar in shape, rise time, andamplitude and do not appear to be significantly shifted in time relativeto each other, given that they were measured at different points alongthe pipe. In FIG. 4, the leading edges 72 and 74 appear to differ inshape, rise time, and amplitude from the leading edges 76 and 78, and atleast the leading edge 74 appears to be significantly delayed in timerelative to where it would be expected. Similar differences can benoticed by comparing the leading edges 72-78 with the leading edges64-70.

The Applicant believes that these differences are caused by the surfacecorrosion on the pipe section with which the leading edges 72-78 areassociated. The Applicant further believes that these leading edges72-78 could have been used to predict corrosion if the condition of thepipe surface had not been known in advance.

EXAMPLE 2

Referring now to FIG. 5, depicted therein is a graph that plots againstpipe length one factor relating to the leading edge of a series ofmodified pulses generated over a section of pipe 80 feet in length. Thepipe tested was located in an operating oil refinery.

In particular, pipe distance in feet is plotted on the horizontal axis,while an amplitude in microvolts of the pulse adjacent to the pulseleading edges is plotted on the vertical axis. In this situation, thepropagation delay was approximately 100 nanoseconds, while the pulsewidths employed were approximately one microsecond. The pulses weretimed to intersect at intersecting locations spaced approximately threeinches apart.

For ease of comparison, the amplitude values plotted on the verticalaxis have been normalized to a given voltage that is identified at zero.

The first 45 feet of pipe was above ground and easily accessible forvisual inspection. This first 45 feet of pipe above ground was clearlyin good condition. Between 45 and approximately 70 feet, the pipe wasburied and its condition is unknown. Between approximately 70 feet and80 feet, the pipe was partially above ground. At between approximately70 and 72 feet, the pipe was visually corroded where it left the ground;the pipe appeared not to be corroded at between approximately 73 to 80feet.

The buried pipe between approximately 45 and 70 feet crossed underneatha paved roadway and, as mentioned, it could not be examined to evaluateits condition. However, by comparing: (a) the amplitude values of theknown good pipe (0-45 feet); (b) the amplitude values of the undergroundpipe (45-70 feet); and (c) the amplitude values of the known bad pipe(70-72 feet), the Applicant predicts that at least a portion of theburied pipe, between approximately 60 feet and 70 feet, is corroded andthat a portion of the buried pipe, between approximately 45 feet and 60feet, is not corroded.

Clearly, the amplitude readings for the section of the pipe between 60feet and 72 feet are similar and quite different from those outside ofthe range; the inference can thus be made that the condition of the pipebetween 60 and 70 feet is the same as that between 70 and 72 feet. Onecan similarly infer that, because the amplitude values from 0 to 60 feetand from 72 to 80 feet are generally similar, the condition of the pipeoutside the range of 60 to 72 feet is also similar. Based on known pipecondition, the condition of unknown pipe can thus be predicted.

While knowledge of amplitude readings of known good and known bad pipecan be quite helpful in predicting anomalies, the applicant believesthat such anomalies can be detected without knowledge of the conditionof the pipe. This may be accomplished by, for example, looking forparticular identifying pulse signatures that, from experience, appear tocorrespond to a given anomaly. This can also be accomplished bycomparing one modified pulse with other similarly modified pulses todetect differences relating to waveform shape, rise time, amplitude,and/or time delay.

Thus, while in the examples set forth herein knowledge of the conditionof at least a portion of the pipe is used to conclude that an anomalydoes or does not exist in the rest of the pipe, the Applicant believesthat this basic process is valid even if the condition of the entirepipe is unknown.

EXAMPLE 3

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a situation similar to that described inExample 2 set forth above is shown. Again, the pipe under test was inuse in a refinery setting. In FIG. 6, distance along a given pipe isplotted against the horizontal axis, while a percentage change inamplitude values from a reference value is plotted against the verticalaxis. In FIG. 7, distance for the same pipe is plotted against thehorizontal axis, but zero feet in FIG. 7 corresponds to 80 feet in FIG.8, and vice versa. Amplitude values referred to a reference valueidentified as zero are plotted against the vertical axis in FIG. 7.

In FIG. 6, a first plot is identified by reference character 80 and areference plot is identified by reference character 82. A single plot 84is shown in FIG. 7. A portion of the plot 80 corresponding to a knowngood section of pipe is identified by reference character 86 (25 to 80feet), while in FIG. 7 the same known good section of pipe is identifiedby reference character 88 (0 to 55 feet). The plot portionscorresponding to the remaining pipe are identified by referencecharacter 90 in FIG. 6 and reference character 92 in FIG. 7. The pipecorresponding to these plot portions 90 and 92 is buried and itscondition is not known.

These FIGS. 6 and 7 are of interest in that they tend to confirm theobservations set forth above with respect to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. Inparticular, the reference plot 82 in FIG. 6 is comprised of datacalculated for known good cable (close to a perfect conductor). As wouldbe expected, plot 82 shows that the change in amplitude along a goodcable is very minimal. In contrast, the change in amplitude in the pipe,as shown by the plot 82, is relatively large, and the character of thisamplitude change alters along the length of pipe. This supports theapplicant's conclusion that something about the pipe condition affectsthe characteristics of the modified pulses.

The plots 80 and 84 are for the same length of pipe. The only differencebetween the two plots is that the starting location and ending locationof the intersecting points are switched for the tests plotted in FIGS. 6and 7. As one would expect, the regions 88 and 92 in FIG. 7 are switchedrelative to the similar regions 86 and 90 in FIG. 6. This indicates thatthe different amplitude values are consistently associated with the samelocations on the pipe without regard to the specifics of the test set upto measure these values. The plots 80 and 84 also indicate that thesystem 20 used to ascertain anomalies along a give length of pipe yieldsrepeatable results.

The graphs depicted in FIGS. 5-7 show just one rather simple method bywhich the raw data obtained from modified pulses can be processed toobtain information about the length of pipe under test. The process ofextracting information from other characteristics of the modifiedpulses, such as rise time, waveform shape, and time displacement, can bequantified and plotted in a manner similar to those employed withamplitude in FIGS. 5-7.

SUMMARY

From the foregoing, it should be clear that other methods of processingthe raw modified pulses can be used to highlight the information carriedby these pulses. The basic principle is to look for any characteristicsin the modified pulses that indicate localized changes in propagationvelocity along the length of the pipe. While the information describedherein related to the leading edges of these pulses contains suchinformation, it may be possible to obtain this information from theshape of the entire pulse, the trailing edge, changes in pulse width,and other pulse characteristics that can be affected by changes inpropagation velocity.

Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Thepresent embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription; all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:
 1. A method of detecting an anomaly of a conductive member,comprising the steps of: sending an electrical pulse along the memberfrom first and second locations towards an intersecting location suchthat the pulses should intersect and are modified at the intersectinglocation; analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one of themodified pulses to ascertain whether a surface anomaly exists at theintersecting location, where the at least one characteristic isindicative of localized velocity changes of the pulse as it travelsalong the conductive member.
 2. A method as recited in claim 1, in whichthe step of analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one of themodified pulses comprises the steps of: selecting one of the modifiedpulses; and analyzing a waveform of the selected modified pulse.
 3. Amethod as recited in claim 2, in which the step of analyzing at leastone characteristic of at least one of the modified pulses comprises thesteps of: selecting one of the modified pulses; and analyzing a shape ofthe waveform of the selected modified pulse.
 4. A method as recited inclaim 1, in which the step of analyzing at least one characteristic ofat least one of the modified pulses comprises the steps of: selectingone of the modified pulses; and comparing the selected modified pulsewith a reference modified pulse obtained at a different location on theelongate member.
 5. A method as recited in claim 1, in which the step ofanalyzing at least one characteristic of at least one of the modifiedpulses comprises the steps of: selecting one of the modified pulses; andcomparing the selected modified pulse with a reference modified pulseobtained at a reference location on the elongate member where no surfaceanomaly exists.
 6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprisingthe step of electrically connecting the first and second locations suchthat these locations are at substantially the same electrical potential.7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:providing test equipment to generate the steps of sending an electricalpulse and of analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one ofthe modified pulses; and referencing the test equipment to theelectrical potential at one of the first and second locations.
 8. Amethod as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of: sending apulse from the second location to the first location through theintersecting location to obtain a reference unmodified pulse at thefirst location; wherein the step of analyzing at least onecharacteristic of at least one of the modified pulses comprises thesteps of: selecting the modified pulse that reaches first location; andcomparing the selected modified pulse with the reference unmodifiedpulse.
 9. A method as recited in claim 1, in which: the step of sendingan electrical pulse along the member from first and second locationscomprises the steps of sending a first pulse from the first location,and sending a second pulse from the first location, where the secondpulse intersects with a third pulse sent from the second location; andthe step of analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one of themodified pulses comprises the step of processing the modified thirdpulse based on the first pulse.
 10. A method as recited in claim 9,further comprising the step of: sending a reference pulse from thesecond location to the first location through the intersecting locationto obtain a reference unmodified pulse at the first location; whereinthe step of analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one of themodified pulses comprises the step of comparing the processed modifiedsecond pulse with the reference unmodified pulse.
 11. A method asrecited in claim 1, in which: the step of sending an electrical pulsealong the member from first and second locations comprises the steps ofsending a first series of pulses from the first location, sending asecond series of pulses from the second location, and timing the pulsesin the first and second series such that a plurality of modified pulsesare generated, one for a each of a plurality of intersecting locations;and the step of analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one ofthe modified pulses comprises the step of analyzing each of the modifiedpulses to ascertain the presence or absence of surface anomalies at theintersecting location associated with each of the modified pulses.
 12. Amethod as recited in claim 11, in which the step of timing the pulses inthe first and second series comprises the steps of: determining apropagation delay of electrical signals between the first and secondlocations on the elongate member; and generating the first and secondseries of pulses based on the propagation delay such that the pulses inthe first and second series of pulses intersect at predeterminedintersecting locations.
 13. A method as recited in claim 1, in which thestep of sending an electrical pulse along the member from first andsecond locations comprises the steps of: sending a first pulse from thefirst location; sending a second pulse from the second location; andcoordinating the generation of the first and second pulses such thatleading edges of the first and second pulses intersect at theintersecting location.
 14. A method as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising the steps of: determining a propagation delay of electricalsignals between the first and second locations on the elongate member;generating the electrical pulses applied to the first and secondlocations such that the duration of these electrical pulses is longerthan the propagation delay.
 15. A method as recited in claim 14, inwhich the step of generating the electrical pulses comprises the step ofsetting a duration of these electrical pulses that is at least ten timesthe propagation delay.
 16. A method as recited in claim 1, in which thestep of analyzing at least one characteristic of the electrical pulsecomprises the step of selecting at least one characteristic from a groupof characteristics comprising absolute time location of a leading edge,rise time, and amplitude of a modified pulse.